Obsessions
by phoenixflaym
Summary: Silver, Gold and Eusine each encounter Crystal-and each other-at Cerulean Cape, setting up the framework for a love square…
1. Crystal Clear

Obsessions

_Obsessions_ is a triptych. All three of the parts have events that coincide with each other, but they all take place within the same time frame. Because of this, you can read the parts in any order you like, but to appreciate the whole story you MUST read all three of them, since each character's experience contains unique facets of the story.

Crystal Clear

Eusine had always been one-track minded. For most of his life he had been fixated on one accomplishment…but he had never expected someone else to beat him to it, nor to feel the way he did afterwards.

Eusine had never gotten on well with his parents. It wasn't that they were abusive, they simply never liked him and the feeling was mutual. They'd wanted a boy who was tough, practical and down-to-earth, not an eccentric, flamboyant, starry-eyed dreamer. Though Eusine was born in Celadon City, his family moved to Johto when he was six, so he never thought of it as much of a hometown. For him, that was Ecruteak City. Even though the rustic country town was a big change from the ritzy Celadon City, he preferred Ecruteak. Growing up, Eusine had always been fascinated with the local legends, which had built a strong friendship between him and Morty. Eusine's parents always liked it when Morty came over; it wasn't much of a secret that they wished Morty was their son instead.

It seemed like whatever Eusine did, his parents never really cared…unless it irritated or inconvenienced them in some way. Even when he had snuck into the Tin Tower in the middle of the night with Morty to catch Ghost Pokémon, Eusine's parents didn't seem too concerned. They were more annoyed to be woken up in the middle of the night by one of the sages at their door with their son than with the fact Eusine had done something potentially dangerous.

Although Eusine was largely ignored by his parents, he managed to gain a great amount of attention from his own age group, attracting a large female following-and the accompanying male hostility.

Despite the fact he wasn't particularly interested in being a Trainer, once he reached ten years of age, he was more than happy to leave on his Pokémon journey. There was only one slight disappointment: Morty had decided to stay in Ecruteak to train to be a Gym Leader.

Soon after, Eusine found his own calling.

Eusine had just left Ecruteak City with his starter, the Gastly that he acquired from the Tin Tower. He was still surprised that his parents had let him keep it, but now that didn't matter. He wanted fame and attention, not necessarily through battling prowess, and to be unforgettable and impossible to ignore; someone who could walk into a room and instantly divert the attention of everyone around.

Now his own attention was diverted as the trees at the edge of the woods rustled. Eusine's turquoise eyes brightened. _Maybe I can make my first catch!_ The new Trainer spun to face the noise, releasing Gastly from its Poké Ball. The bushes waved wildly as a majestic pale blue and white Pokémon stalked out of the undergrowth. Eusine froze as it fixed its ruby red gaze on him, too stunned to even command his Gastly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; this _had_ to be Suicune. It looked just like the photographs his grandfather had shown him. The forest began to blur, until he could only see the Legendary.

As quickly as it had appeared, Suicune raced past Eusine. The young Trainer watched in awe, paralyzed by its beauty, as Suicune ran across the surface of the river, hardly even churning up any waves as it disappeared into the distance.

That memory of his first sighting of Suicune was forever etched into his mind. Eusine vowed that someday, somehow, he would encounter Suicune face-to-face and capture it.

Now here he was, after a decade of pursuit, face-to-face with the Legendary-only it wasn't him doing the catching.

Eusine looked on in an odd mixture of exhilaration and dismay as Suicune was engulfed in the pale red light from an Ultra Ball. The wind, a cool faint breeze from the north, died down and Eusine's rose gold bangs fell back across his forehead.

How had Crystal caught it so fast? All it took was three Ultra Balls. Eusine wasn't sure if he felt cheated of a climactic encounter between an amazing Trainer and an amazing Pokémon or if he was even more in awe of Crystal's skill now. Even from the first time he had met her in the Burned Tower, he had always felt there was something special about her; it irritated him that he could never quite put his finger on what that something was.

For some reason he couldn't figure out, he was actually happy for her. She had just taken away his life's purpose, yet he felt strangely fulfilled.

Another realization dawned on Eusine. What could he do now that Suicune had been caught? He had lost his life's purpose…at 21 years old. Now that he thought of it, he really never had anything to live for other than his pursuit of Suicune. Sure, he had his side job as a Pokémon hunter, but that was a means, not an end. He only used that to fund his travels on his former quest-and expensive tastes.

"Are you okay?" Crystal asked softly.

"Y-yes," Eusine's thoughts faded. "Why do you ask?"

"You seemed a bit lost," Crystal replied. "Are you wondering what you're going to do now that I caught Suicune?"

_Is it really that obvious? _"I'll sort something out," Eusine replied, trying to keep his tone detached.

Crystal wasn't convinced. She turned to Eusine, her warm brown eyes glowing with emotion. Eusine looked intently at her. That couldn't be the only thing on her mind. To confirm Eusine's observation, Crystal continued talking. "I have something I need to tell you."

"What would that be?" Eusine asked, once again trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible.

"I've always been attracted to you." Crystal hesitated, as if trying to pick out her next words. "I'm sure you already have a girlfriend. Heck, you probably have _twenty_ girlfriends, but I need to get this off my back. Ever since I met you in the Burned Tower, I realized I had to find some way to get you to notice me. When I found out you were after Suicune, I set my sights on catching it so I could impress you and hopefully win your heart."

Eusine wasn't even vaguely surprised by the first part of this revelation. Having women tell him he was attractive was nothing new. Even as a child, he'd attracted many female admirers. Despite gaining a reputation from a relatively early age as a "ladies' man" Eusine was never particularly close to any of those girls, nor was he particularly close to any of the girls he had encountered on his quest to catch Suicune.

Perhaps Crystal was the exception. There was always something different about her; Eusine could sense it from the moment he met her and apparently Suicune could, too. Though Crystal wasn't stunningly attractive like some of the ladies Eusine had encountered throughout his travels, she had some amount of appeal. She certainly wasn't plain.

As much as he hated to admit it, Eusine had never really taken the time to notice how he felt about Crystal before. He had been too focused on pursuing Suicune-too obsessed with it. Though he always liked Crystal as a person and respected her as a Trainer, he never noticed any feelings other than those. Eusine had met plenty of women who were attracted to him on his travels-and why not? He was perfectly aware of his good looks-but he never felt any interest towards _them. _Some of them he had found attractive, but he never paid them any serious attention. Perhaps that was because they were mostly interested in him for his appearance.

"So what exactly do you find attractive?" Eusine asked, testing the waters. He figured he could gauge if Crystal genuinely loved him or was simply physically attracted to him.

"Well, everything," Crystal admitted. "Your eyes, your hair, your body, your smile, your fashion sense." She smiled, gently grabbing the edge of Eusine's cape and twirling it in her fingers before letting it slip out of her hand. Eusine felt marginally disappointed. _Maybe she's not as different as I thought._

"But I also love you for you," Crystal continued, this time without any hesitation. "You're kind, chivalrous, ambitious, passionate, devoted, and honorable. You can be spontaneous and dramatic, but I've always liked that about you. You're brave that way; you're not afraid to go out on a limb. You should know that the main reason I went after Suicune was not to catch it, but because I knew if I could find it, _you_ wouldn't be far behind. Of all places, it led us both here."

"Cerulean Cape is a place for couples," Crystal commented with a small smile. "It's my turn to go out on a limb," Before Eusine could get a word in, she leaned in, wrapping her arms around Eusine's neck, pushed her fingers through his rose gold hair, and kissed him on the lips.

Eusine blushed intensely, for once in his life caught completely off-guard. He flinched slightly at the initial kiss, pushing him back against the stone wall of the cliff. He couldn't get away…but wait. Did he even _want_ to get away? A thought flashed through his mind: _Now what?_ Without even thinking about it, he returned the kiss in the light of the late afternoon sun. No one would ever believe Eusine if he told them this, but he had never kissed before. He might have been a ladies' man, but he upheld a strict "look but don't touch" policy.

"The stones are smooth here," Crystal commented coyly. She pressed into Eusine. As if doing a waltz, Eusine took a graceful step back, letting Crystal pin him between her and the wall of rock. It felt perfectly natural, almost as if he had rehearsed it over and over.

"That's better," Crystal readjusted herself slightly on top of him. Eusine noticed that his cape and pants were picking up dirt from the rocks, and lifted himself ever so slightly off the stones. He had paid a lot for the outfit-far more than he could reasonably afford-so he took great care to avoid damaging it in any way.

A Pidgeotto cried in the distance. A few moments later, Eusine heard the clatter of pebbles from close by.

"What was that?" The blond turned in the direction of the noise, his brilliant turquoise eyes scanning the tall grass.

"I heard it, too," Crystal turned around, then looked in the other direction. Eusine glanced towards the water. Maybe it was just a Pokémon at the bottom of the cliff.

"Hey, long time, no see," A male voice sounded from behind them.

"Whoa!" Crystal whipped around to face the speaker. He was a couple years younger than Eusine and about a year older than Crystal, with glassy gray eyes and long hair the color of red velvet cake.

Eusine looked equally surprised to see him. "Crystal, do you know him?"

"Yeah. We've seen each other around."

Now that Eusine thought of it, the redhead looked vaguely familiar. Eusine couldn't quite put his finger on where he recognized him from, but he had seen him some time ago.

"Silver, this is my...this is Eusine."

Silver... _Now_ Eusine remembered where he'd seen the redhead before, and heard that name. The scenery blurred as Eusine thought back to five years ago, to an elegant mansion in Kanto. []

"I have the Pokémon you wanted," Eusine nervously adjusted his bowtie. There was something about Giovanni that daunted him, but he couldn't quite figure out what. Perhaps it was his reputation as the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto.

"It's not for me. It's for my son," Giovanni looked around, then stood up. "Silver! Come down! I have the Pokémon that you wanted!"

At the sound of his name, Silver rounded the corner of the final flight of stairs and entered the sitting room. Eusine saw Silver for the first time, a well-dressed teenager of about fourteen years with long ruby red hair and cold eyes. _So this is the son I caught it for._ Eusine had never known that Giovanni had a son…if that even _was_ his son. They had the right age gap to be father and son, but they didn't look even remotely similar. Apparently Silver noticed Eusine's analysis and flashed him a quick glare. Giovanni looked at the older teenager. "Eusine, where is it?"

With an elegant flick of his wrist, the Poké Ball appeared in his hand. Silver blinked in surprise. Eusine felt a small gleam of satisfaction. Clearly someone liked his sleight of hand. As Silver took his seat in a leather armchair next to his father, the blond pressed the button and released a Larvitar onto the hardwood floor.

Silver looked at the Pokémon with dissatisfaction in his pearly gray eyes. "So what can it do? It looks weak to me."

Eusine looked at the Larvitar, then back up at Silver. "With all due respect, how do you know?"

"A Pokémon at that low of a level isn't of any use to me. I only use strong Pokémon," Silver replied with a smirk. He reached into the pocket of his pants, taking out a Great Ball and pressed the button on the front. A Scizor materialized from the red beam of light.

"Scizor, use Steel Wing,"

In a split second, the Steel-type lunged, striking the Larvitar with its sharp wings. The Larvitar didn't even get a chance to react; it took the blow and ricocheted off the wall, leaving a sizable dent as it bounced. Eusine visibly flinched as the Larvitar slammed into the corner of a nearby hardwood cabinet and collapsed on the floor. Giovanni cast Eusine a glare. _You expect _me_ to pay for the damage?_

"See? I was right. That was one of my weaker Pokémon, too." There was a smug gleam in Silver's glassy gray eyes.

_That was rather cruel. Did you really need to attack it that hard? _Eusine was caught off-guard by Silver's callousness; the redhead didn't even seem to care at all about the fainted Larvitar on the floor. Eusine took out the Poké Ball and withdrew the little Pokémon as Silver withdrew his.

Giovanni turned to Eusine. "You saw that. Now go out and get another one."

Eusine looked dismayed at the idea. "You make it sound like catching Larvitar is like catching Rattata. Do you know what I went through to get it?" _Do you know what the Pokémon on Mount Silver are like? _Eusine silently added. _I can't believe I made it out of there alive!_

"What do you think I'm paying you for? Catch a stronger Larvitar."

"From where? They only appear at Mount Silver."

"I don't care how you obtain it! Just do it and be timely about it, even if you have to steal one."

Silver let out a sigh and began to get up out of his chair, but one quick glance from Giovanni had him seated again.

"Steal one?! Who do you think I am, part of Team Rocket?" Was it just Eusine's imagination, or did Giovanni twitch ever so slightly?

"You call yourself a Pokémon hunter, right?" Giovanni's gaze hardened. "That means you'll do what it takes to get Pokémon for your clients."

"I won't do things that are unethical or illegal-"

"Eusine Minaki, look at me. Look me in the eyes."

Nervously, Eusine turned towards his client. Giovanni's eyes, darker gray than his son's but with that same intensity, bored into Eusine's brilliant turquoise ones. Perhaps Giovanni and his son looked a little more alike than he had initially thought.

"I've heard about the things you can do. You're only sixteen and you have as much skill as Pokémon hunters twice your age. You have potential to make something great of yourself- and I can help you. Sometimes you need to bend the rules to achieve greatness."

"I-I don't know if I want to do this-"

"You need the money, right? As I remember, _you_ sought out _me_. You were desperate for funds."

"So can I at least get paid for what I've done so far?" There was a petulant edge to the blond's voice.

At that bit of insolence, Giovanni forcefully slapped Eusine, knocking him off his chair and onto the marble-tiled floor.

Silver spun to look at Eusine as he hit the floor. For a moment, their eyes met, glassy gray and brilliant turquoise, like the contrast of a winter and summer sky. They just stared at each other, their gazes locked. Eusine could see the realization, uneasiness, disillusionment and astonishment in Silver's mercury eyes-and even a little bit of fear, as if he had never seen this side of his father before now.

Giovanni's voice snapped Eusine back into the moment. "How dare you ask for payment when you haven't even accomplished your task?! Get up, go out and get that Pokémon!"

"Fine then. I quit." Eusine stood up surprisingly fast, considering how hard he had been hit. Silver watched as the blond dusted himself off and swiftly exited the room, without even a glance back. Eusine realized with some amount of astonishment that Silver had probably never seen that side of his father before. Why else would the redhead have looked so shocked, and even a little frightened? Eusine hadn't exactly been on good terms with either of his parents, but at least he had known what to expect from them. He briefly wondered what it would be like to have had a life like that, with parents who not only showed some interest or concern towards him, but even would go out of their way to try and make their son happy. Eusine noted with resignation that he would have to find another client-and soon. Still, despite that he had been mostly living on canned soup for the past few weeks, he certainly didn't regret buying that five-piece tuxedo. He looked too stunning in it to pass it up. From the reactions he'd seen, apparently most women thought so, too.

Eusine's memories faded into the background as the present took the reins again. Eusine briefly wondered if the redhead still remembered the incident. _That was a while ago. I doubt he'd remember me. _

Eusine offered his hand to shake, but Silver ignored him and turned to Crystal.

"So why are you here?" Crystal asked with as much politeness as she could muster.

"I was looking for you," Silver replied.

"Really? Why?" Crystal's soft brown eyes widened. She looked both surprised and flattered to hear this.

"I was looking for a good chance to tell you how I feel…I love you."

Eusine looked just as surprised by this as Crystal. _So how does she feel about him?_

"Silver, before you hold anything against Eusine for this, I need to tell you something," Crystal moved towards Silver, until there were only inches between them.

Eusine looked at Crystal in confusion. What was Crystal going to say to the redhead? Could she change her mind that fast?

"I never loved you," she stated bluntly, though trying to be gentle at the same time. "Today doesn't change that. Eusine was always the one for me."

"All right, fine. But when you want a guy who actually has some balls, I'll be long gone." Silver turned away from the couple slowly.

"What do you have against Eusine anyways?" Crystal snapped.

"Not my lips, for one thing."

"I only ever liked you as a friend. I don't get why you have to make this into a problem."

"Problem? I don't have a problem. Mr. Perfect is the one with the problem," Silver cast a side glance at Eusine. "Besides, he's not you type."

Crystal put her hands on her hips. "And how would _you_ know what "my type" is?"

Eusine caught sight of a shape in the distance approaching. There was something sort of familiar about this person as well. As the figure got closer, Eusine recognized Gold, along with his inseparable Marill companion. Why was he here?

Silver's long red hair whipped across his face as he turned and looked down the hill. Quickly, he turned back to Crystal and Eusine. As Crystal looked at Gold, Silver gave Eusine an intense glare and a rapid middle finger, fast enough for Eusine to see but not fast enough for Crystal to notice, and walked off.

Eusine turned to Crystal, irritated by Silver's treatment of him. "Of all the nerve! What's his problem?"

"I guess he's jealous," Crystal admitted sheepishly. "Even though Silver can be a jerk sometimes-okay, a lot of the time-deep down he really does have a good side. I always knew he loved me; I just never loved him back. I was always enamored with you."

"You're here, too?"

Eusine and Crystal turned around as a brunet a year or so younger than Silver came up the hill followed by a Marill. _Now Gold is here, too?_

"So I heard a rumor that Suicune was sighted here," Gold continued. "Did you see it?"

"Absolutely! Crystal caught it!" Eusine announced, surprised by how genuinely enthusiastic he was about the fact. After Crystal's revelation earlier that day, he didn't know what to expect from himself anymore.

"You don't seem as disappointed as I thought you'd be," Gold commented.

Crystal hugged Eusine. "Of course he's not disappointed. I may have got Suicune, but now Eusine and I have each other."

"Okay," Gold turned to Eusine and lowered his voice, enough so that Crystal was out of earshot, but not a whisper. Eusine was surprised by the intensity in the brunet's voice; apparently Gold felt strongly for Crystal as well. "But if you break her heart, Merrimack will keelhaul you from here to Sinnoh." As if to accentuate Gold's words, the Marill made a punching motion. As soon as Gold finished speaking, he turned back to Crystal.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," Gold picked up his backpack and put it across his back. "C'mon, Merrimack." He beckoned to his Marill, who let out a squeak and followed his Trainer. Eusine mentally thanked Gold for having the courtesy to leave. It wasn't that he didn't like the brunet, he just wanted to enjoy the moment with Crystal without any more interruptions.

As the couple glanced out over the water, hand in hand, Eusine felt a sudden enlightenment, like a window pane being wiped cleaned so the view was no longer clouded. This was how it was meant to be, only Crystal had realized it before him. He had sought attention-and between his looks and his personality certainly got his share of it-but that had never really satisfied him. Even when he made catching Suicune his main goal, in the back of his mind there was a niggling emptiness. Still, his quest for notoriety and to catch Suicune had led him to something greater.

For once in Eusine's life, everything was crystal clear.


	2. Gold Hearted

Obsessions

_Obsessions_ is a triptych. All three of the parts have events that coincide with each other, but they all take place within the same time frame. Because of this, you can read the parts in any order you like, but to appreciate the whole story you MUST read all three of them, since each character's experience contains unique facets of the story.

Gold-hearted

Gold had always been overprotective of Crystal, as much as he hated to admit it.

Though they were the same age, Gold always felt like Crystal was the little sister he never had; he had always wanted his parents to have another kid. When Crystal's parents had divorced, Gold and his parents had acted like a second family to her. Ironically, Gold was actually a couple months _younger_ than Crystal-she was already eighteen, but he was still seventeen, but he never let that stop him.

When he found out about her obsessive crush on Eusine, Gold worried that the blond was way out of Crystal's league, though Gold was too polite to tell her that. Besides, he suspected that a traveler, particularly a charming and attractive traveler like Eusine, would probably already have a girlfriend, if not picked up _multiple_ girlfriends on his travels. In fact, it didn't seem like Eusine had any interest in Crystal at all. Gold still recalled the first time Crystal spoke out about her emotions towards Eusine.

"I'm 99% sure he doesn't like me, but it's the 1% that keeps me hanging in there," she had confessed.

Gold knew better than to try and tell Crystal his doubts, though. He didn't think she would take his opinions about Eusine too seriously and would dismiss the brunet as being jealous. It wasn't that Gold had anything against the blond-they had encountered each other a few times on their respective travels and though they were on speaking terms they weren't exactly friends. They tolerated each other at best and exasperated each other at worst.

Gold wasn't sure how much better that was than the alternative: Silver. Gold also met the redhead on various occasions, starting shortly after Silver had stolen the remaining starter from Professor Elm's lab, and he had always suspected that Silver had his heart set on Crystal. Gold found Silver to be callous, aloof, spiteful and obnoxious, while he was sure Silver found him to be nosy, clingy, overprotective and obnoxious. Regardless of how Crystal had said Silver had changed since the first time they met, Gold still couldn't bring himself to like-or even trust-the redhead and the feeling was mutual.

Gold especially disliked Silver because he had stolen the Cyndaquil from Professor Elm. When Crystal left on her Pokémon journey, Gold vowed that he would do his best to protect her and help her in any way he could. Because of this, Gold became even more protective of his friend. At the behest of Crystal's mom-and often of his own decision-he would call Crystal to check up on her. Crystal could get a little irritated with his concern towards her, but it was only his way of showing he cared.

When Gold started hearing rumors that the Legendary Beasts were sighted in Ecruteak, he jumped at the chance to see them-and hopefully catch them. He knew Crystal had heard about this too, which both excited and worried him. Knowing he would most likely run into Crystal as he pursued the Legendaries, Gold came to Cerulean Cape because he heard a rumor Suicune was sighted there.

Now he had encountered the last person he had expected-and wanted-to see.

"Silver! What are you doing here?!" Gold burst out.

Silver let out an irritated groan. "Look, why don't you get back to being Crystal's bodyguard and go away? Oh, that's right. She doesn't need you."

"You're looking for Suicune, too?" Gold glared at the redhead. _The nerve of this guy!_ He always had to turn up at the worst times. Hopefully by the time Gold could get him out of the way Suicune would still be there.

"No. I've got something better to look for: Crystal."

_So she is here,_ Gold realized.

"You stay away from her," Gold reached for his Poké Balls.

"You mind your own business," Silver retorted, also reaching for his Poké Balls as he saw Gold doing the same.

"What do you see in Crystal anyways?" Gold asked, both annoyed and genuinely curious about Silver's answer.

"The same things as you," Gold's mouth hung open slightly. He saw a satisfied smirk flash across Silver's face as the redhead realized he had struck a nerve. "Yeah, I know you want her, too. You're not exactly subtle about it,"

Gold tried to hide his annoyance. "Crystal's not interested in you anyways. She loves someone else."

Silver's glassy gray eyes widened. "Who, you? Don't make me laugh. She's out of your league."

Gold considered telling Silver how infatuated Crystal was with Eusine and that neither of them really stood a chance of making any impression on her. Gold knew; he had tried many times, yet she never noticed his affections as being anything more than friendship. He held his tongue, thinking it wouldn't make any difference. Silver wouldn't know who Eusine was, anyways.

"At least Crystal and I are close friends. What does she see you as, the obnoxious jerk who follows her around?" Gold snapped.

"You'll find out soon enough how she feels about me," Silver replied in a surprisingly casual tone. "I just need to find her."

Gold's eyes, one gray and one amber, narrowed. "My intuition tells me that I don't trust you."

Silver sneered. "Does your intuition tell you to stay out of this?"

Silver threw a Poké Ball, releasing a Magneton. Electricity crackled from the tips of its magnets. Gold flinched slightly. He only had one Pokémon, his Marill, Merrimack. He would have to fight despite the type disadvantage.

"Merrimack, use Superpower!"

Merrimack was surrounded by a red aura. As the aura grew, Merrimack charged up to Magneton and threw it into the air. Both Gold's and Silver's gazes followed the Steel-type as it soared through the air, then came crashing down, creating a large hole in the ground where it hit. It was clear the Magneton had fainted from the impact. That was the advantage of having only one Pokémon: since he only had one to raise, it was extremely powerful. Quality over quantity.

Silver withdrew Magneton, before throwing out another Poké Ball, releasing Alakazam. Gold hesitated before making his move. He didn't have any moves with a type advantage against it.

"Merrimack, Hydro Pump!"

The Marill unleashed a thick jet of water from its mouth, hitting Alakazam square in the chest. It staggered from the impact, but remained standing.

"Alakazam, use Psychic!" Silver commanded.

Merrimack tried to dodge, but Alakazam was faster. It rapidly adjusted its attack, catching Merrimack in the middle of it.

"Merrimack, use Hydro Pump again!"

Merrimack repeated its attack, though the effort it exerted to do so clearly showed. Though Gold had seen the attack used many times, he still found it impressive the tiny Marill could hold so much water. The attack struck Alakazam, this time knocking it off its feet and onto the ground. Gold smiled; two Pokémon down, four more to go. Maybe this battle wouldn't be so bad after all.

Three KO's later, Gold was still winning. Merrimack had taken more than a few hits, but Aqua Ring was helping it recover. It had taken out Golbat with repeated Rollouts, fainted Sneasel with Superpower, and subdued Gengar with two Hydro Pumps. Silver was down to his last Pokémon.

"Go, Typhlosion!" Silver called out as his strongest Pokémon. It roared as it emerged from the red light of its Poké Ball. _The Typhlosion he stole from Professor Elm,_ Gold noted with contempt.

"Typhlosion, Quick Attack!" Silver commanded. Before Merrimack could even try to avoid Typhlosion, the Fire-type slammed into it, knocking the smaller Pokémon off-balance. Merrimack appeared to be fine, but Gold could tell the Marill was beginning to tire.

"Merrimack, use Hydro Pump!"

A stream of water, smaller than the previous times, shot out of Merrimack's mouth. This was the last time Merrimack could use the attack. Typhlosion jumped out of the way of the attack, completely dodging it.

"Typhlosion, hit it with Swift!" Silver called out.

Typhlosion whirled around and shot star-shaped beams at Merrimack. Though Merrimack tried to dodge, it couldn't shake the attack.

_Let's hope he doesn't do that again,_ Gold noted. Merrimack was beginning to run out steam. The brunet reached into his bag to take out a Super Potion, but after fumbling around for a moment, he couldn't find one. Merrimack was going to have to do this on its own.

"Merrimack, Rollout!"

The Marill curled up into a ball, then rolled towards Typhlosion, picking up speed exponentially as it gained ground. As Merrimack struck, Typhlosion was flung backwards by the impact. As it scrambled to its feet, Silver gave it its next command.

"Typhlosion, use Swift again!"

"Merrimack, repeat Rollout!"

Before the Fire-type could even get in its attack, Merrimack struck again with Rollout, this time even harder and faster than the last. Silver looked down at his starter with a look that said "I'm screwed". Gold couldn't even tell if Typhlosion had fainted or not. As Gold looked on, Silver sullenly withdrew his Typhlosion.

"All right, you won," Silver muttered. As he turned away from Gold, he tucked the Poké Ball into the red-lined pocket of his black jacket. The redhead left a small pile of victory money on the ground and left.

"So I was right. Crystal is here, too," Gold mused as he quickly bent down to pick up the victory money. "I wonder if she's looking for Suicune. Regardless, I'd like to find her. I have something important to tell her!"

"Mari?" Gold's Marill looked up at him in anticipation.

Passion burned in Gold's sloe-and-honey-colored eyes. "Merrimack, Cerulean Cape is known for being a hotspot for couples. Where else would be a better place to finally tell her how I feel?"

ooOoo

"Marill! Mar Mar!" Merrimack squealed, pivoting as fast as its stubby legs could allow.

"What is it? Did you hear something?" Gold had been looking for Crystal for a while now. By now he was beginning to consider giving up and trying to call her. She might have already left Cerulean Cape.

"Mar!" Merrimack's ears twitched towards the cliffs overlooking the water.

"C'mon! Let's see what it is," Gold began to head in the direction Merrimack had indicated. As he got closer, he heard a very familiar voice.

"I always knew he loved me."

"That's definitely Crystal! Good job!" Gold sprinted up the crest of the hill, with Merrimack following. As he cleared the crest of the hill, he saw to his disappointment that Crystal wasn't alone.

"You're here, too?" Gold spurted. _First Silver and now Eusine. I only came here to see Suicune. This is turning into a really weird day. Then again, considering the rumor, I shouldn't be surprised to see Eusine here at all._

"So I heard a rumor that Suicune was sighted here." Gold said abruptly, trying to make normal conversation. "Did you see it?"

"Absolutely! Crystal caught it!" Eusine announced.

_Funny. He's actually happy for her. I guess he's a better person than I thought he was._ "You don't seem as disappointed as I thought you'd be," Gold commented.

Crystal hugged Eusine. "Of course he's not disappointed. I may have got Suicune, but now Eusine and I have each other."

Gold held in a sigh. As much as Crystal tried to hide it, Gold had always known she was infatuated with the blond Pokémon hunter. Gold had been the only one she'd ever confessed those feelings to.

He'd never expected that Eusine would return Crystal's feelings, though. Quite frankly, Gold always thought Eusine was both too enamored with himself and too obsessed with catching Suicune to notice _any_ girl.

Perhaps Gold wasn't giving him enough credit.

Gold had always been fond of Crystal, but in recent years, Gold had developed a true crush on her, though he had never admitted his feelings. It was just as well; as far as he could tell she never had any romantic interest in him, anyways. She never seemed to notice his romantic advances or any hints that he dropped.

"Okay," Gold turned to Eusine and lowered his voice, enough so that Crystal was out of earshot, but not a whisper. "But if you break her heart, Merrimack will keelhaul you from here to Sinnoh." As if to accentuate Gold's words, the Marill made a punching motion.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," Gold stated. Crystal and Eusine were clearly having a moment with each other, and Gold felt like a voyeur standing around watching them indulge in their romance. Sure he _was_ a bit jealous, but he wasn't about to ruin the moment for them.

In fact, he didn't feel anywhere near as disappointed as he had expected to be. He had known for a long time that he had almost no chance of Crystal ever noticing him over the much better-looking and much better-dressed Eusine. Gold couldn't imagine why the blond would dress in such a flashy-though admittedly extremely flattering-style; it couldn't be comfortable for a Trainer to travel around dressed like that. No matter when Gold encountered Eusine, he always was dressed to the nines. Maybe he did it for the attention; from what Gold observed, it certainly appeared to work. Gold briefly contemplated trying it out for himself…

He admitted that his encounter could've been much worse. At least Crystal was still his friend. There were always other girls out there for the brunet.

A thought pricked at the back of Gold's mind._ Why can't she see that she belongs with me?_

As soon as the thought came, Gold shoved it out of his head. He should be happy for his friend, not secretly pining after her.

"C'mon, Merrimack." He beckoned to his Marill, who let out a squeak and followed his Trainer. Once Gold was out of earshot, he looked down at Merrimack, who was at his side.

"They're really something, aren't they, Merrimack?"

"Mar! Marill!" Merrimack affirmed.

"Perhaps things will work out for them after all." Gold said, half to himself as he walked back to Cerulean City, all the while looking back at the young couple on the cliff.

A loud ringing shifted the brunet's attention. He reached into his pocket, checked the name of the caller on his Pokégear and held it several inches away from his ear before answering.

"H-hey, Gold," Gold could hear sobbing coming from the other end.

"What's wrong, Whitney?" Gold asked, concern showing in his voice. Whitney was usually so cheerful and upbeat; nothing could get that girl down. What could have made her so upset?

"I fought three Trainers today and I lost to all of them!" The sobbing grew louder as Whitney continued speaking. "I think I'm losing my touch! I haven't been a Gym Leader for very long, and I don't wanna lose my position!" After finishing her sentence she broke down in another fit of sobbing.

"Don't feel so bad about it. I didn't have a good day, either," Gold replied, though he regretted it the instant the words left his mouth. Now Whitney would demand to know everything that had happened.

"Really? What happened to you?" Whitney's sobbing was beginning to subside.

"I ran into the one person I hate, and we had a battle," Gold decided to leave out the fact that he won that battle; it wouldn't help Whitney feel any better. "Then after that I found out that the girl I love is with someone else."

"Aww! That's terrible!" Whitney paused for a moment. "Wait, does that mean you're single?"

"I…I guess so."_ What is she trying to get at?_

"Well,I'm single, too!" Whitney had stopped crying completely. "I know! We should get together sometime!"

Gold hesitated. He wasn't quite sure how to define his feelings for the spunky Gym Leader. He had only met her a few times, including their Gym match. Whitney had always taken whatever opportunity she could get during those encounter to flirt with the brunet. On the other hand, Gold had heard rumors that Whitney was notorious for being flirtatious; supposedly she flirted with all of her male challengers, which meant Gold wasn't anything special. Whitney was certainly pretty, and she was always so friendly and sunny.

"Um, sure," Gold wasn't in the mood for a date, but he knew that declining Whitney would only make her cry again. That was the last thing he wanted.

"Yay!" Whitney squealed. "This is gonna be awesome! While we're at it, let's have a rematch, too!"

"Okay," Gold knew he'd have to tell Merrimack to take it easy on Whitney's Pokémon. It wasn't that Whitney was a bad Trainer; she just didn't handle losses well. Gold didn't want to upset her by winning, like he had when he'd won the Plain Badge from her. That time she was so upset she refused to give the Badge to him until after she calmed down.

"What time works for you?" Gold didn't have any plans or obligations, so he could have his rematch with Whitney pretty much any time.

"How about Saturday at noon?" Whitney suggested. "I always get bored on Saturdays; not a lot of people come to the Gym and all the best sales at the Goldenrod Department Store happen on the weekdays. Also, let's go out to lunch before our battle! I know of this super cute café in Goldenrod!"

"Sure," This rematch or date or whatever it was supposed to be actually sounded like a lot of fun. "I can't wait!"

"Awesome! I'll see you Saturday! Meet me at the Magnet Train station!" There was a brief pause before Whitney continued speaking. "You still have that cute little Marill with you, right? Bring him along!"

"Of course. We go everywhere together," Gold replied with a fond look at Merrimack. "See ya!"

Gold closed his Pokégear, anticipating his rematch-or was it a date?-with Whitney. He felt a wave of relief that Crystal still considered him a friend. Sure, Gold had some great times with Crystal in the past. They had been friends when they were younger, and he had always dreamed they would be lovers when they were older. He'd had his share of fantasies about him and Crystal together, but that was all that they were now: fantasies. Gold would always be there for Crystal as a friend, and if Crystal's relationship with Eusine ended, Gold would be right there for her. Even if it didn't, Gold would still be there for her.

_But what about Whitney?_ A little thought nagged him. Gold shrugged it off. He could be friends-or more-with either of them yet still be supportive of both of them. After all, Crystal had always told him he was gold-hearted.


	3. Silver Lining

Obsessions

_Obsessions_ is a triptych. All three of the parts have events that coincide with each other, but they all take place within the same time frame. Because of this, you can read the parts in any order you like, but to appreciate the whole story you MUST read all three of them, since each character's experience contains unique facets of the story.

Silver Lining

Silver had thought that he had everything he wanted in life, but as soon as those days ended, it seemed like he _never_ got what he wanted. It was always one extreme or the other. Just as it seemed things could finally go his way for the first time in three years, that opportunity got snatched away again.

ooOoo

Though he was never directly involved with Team Rocket's activity, being the only child of Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket, had its perks. Giovanni may have been known the ruthless leader of Team Rocket, but around his son he was an extremely generous father.

In fact, the only thing Silver wanted that he never got were answers. No matter how he tried to ask, Giovanni would never tell Silver about the identity of his mother. Eventually, Silver dropped the topic. He had never found out who his mother was, but to be honest, it had stopped bothering him. Why should he have any interest in a mother who apparently had no interest in him? The general assumption amongst Team Rocket was that Giovanni and the female Team Rocket Admin Ariana had been in a relationship at one point. Between her slightly spiky shoulder-length red hair and very pale complexion, she seemed like the likely candidate from a physical perspective. Ariana did nothing to dissuade this rumor, knowing that it was in her best interest to have people believing she mothered Giovanni's son.

One day Silver returned home after being away for a week or so to find Giovanni's mansion almost completely cleared out. Most the furniture was gone, and even the marble floor tiles were being stripped. The only sign of life in the place was the occasional grunt, carrying some object or another towards the door. As Silver headed up the staircase to his room, he realized the entire hall was empty. A feeling of foreboding settled over Silver as he sprinted down the hall to his bedroom. As he ran, he nearly collided with a grunt was carrying an expensive-looking lamp.

The grunt nearly dropped the lamp in shock. "What are you doing here?"

_Hey! Aren't you going to apologize to me? _

"I could say the same about you," he replied.

"Well, the boss was hoping you wouldn't return for another few days,"

Silver paused. "What do you mean by that?"

"I-I don't really know," the grunt admitted. "I'm just following orders."

Silver continued past the next couple rooms until he came to his own room. He didn't even need to go inside. The door was wide open, and just from a quick look in he could see all the furniture had been removed from the room. Even the rug had been removed. With a look of horror, Silver noticed a blank spot on the wall where a large wooden cabinet that had been attached.

_Where are my Pokémon?!_

The redhead bolted out the room. Hopefully the cabinet had just been moved. Maybe there was a chance he could catch up with the grunt who took it.

"Well, this is a surprise! I thought Giovanni would take his precious son with him,"

Silver whirled around to face another grunt approaching him.

"What are you talking about?" Silver asked, more confused than angry. He'd have to find where his Pokémon were taken later. Something was clearly amiss.

Now it was the grunt's turn to be surprised. "He didn't tell you?"

"No. Now get to the point," With each second that passed, Silver's patience slipped. He just wanted things to go back to normal. "What happened?"

"After some kid named Red defeated the boss, he decided to disband Team Rocket and go solo. If he didn't tell you this himself, I guess you're not as important to him as I thought."

Shock and outrage surged through Silver like a lightning bolt. _How dare he not tell me?!_

Silver glared at the grunt, who clearly took great satisfaction in Silver's reaction. Another grunt stopped by to talk to the first.

"What's the hold-up?" he asked.

"Giovanni's brat stopped by," the first grunt replied with a side glance at Silver. "Apparently daddy didn't inform him about the disbanding."

_Giovanni's brat!_ Silver fumed at the jibe. Whatever happened to being addressed as "young master"? The grunts had always shown some amount of respect for Silver, but now it occurred to him that Giovanni was always around at those times as well. Of course they wouldn't want to offend the boss' son right in front of the boss himself. Silver recalled taking advantage of that tendency more than a few times.

"Enough chatting. What did you do with my Pokémon?!"

"Don't worry, they're too rare and valuable to be released. We've sold most of them. Honestly, I might actually feel a bit sorry for you if you had caught them yourself."

"And what about my things?" Silver gave the grunts an expectant look.

"We were tasked with removing everything from the mansion so that there would be no evidence to trace the boss with or to convict him with," the grunt replied smugly. "And from what the boss said, everything means _everything_."

"It's the greatest payday we could ask for," the second grunt added. "Perhaps Team Rocket disbanding isn't a bad thing after all."

_How is this_ not _a bad thing?_ Silver flashed a mutinous glare at the grunt as he stormed down the stairs. He was going to get to the bottom of this one way or another.

ooOoo

Using what information he could cobble together to find where Giovanni went, Silver managed to track down his father to Indigo Plateau. As he cleared the rocky crest of a hill, he finally found him.

"Dad! What was that all about?! I just came home to have two grunts tell me that you disbanded Team Rocket! They've taken all the furniture, all of my things, and my Pokémon! You didn't even tell me you were leaving!"

Giovanni let out a sigh. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you. I knew if I did, you would try to seek me out and get me to change things." He fixed his gaze on Silver's mercury eyes. "I've made up my mind. I'm going to go into solitary training for a while, and I don't want you to interfere."

_What kind of answer is that?!_ "What part of 'they've taken all of my things' didn't you understand? I literally have nothing!" Silver protested. "What am I supposed to do?!"

"You'll make do," Giovanni bluntly replied. "You're sixteen and you've never even truly left on your Pokémon journey. You've only gone for a week or so at a time before heading back home again."

Silver rolled his eyes. "Well, of course I've kept returning home. You always call me back because you have something to give to me. Besides, I would run out of money if I didn't."

"That's exactly my point. You've always been too dependent on me. Now that I've gone into solitude, you need to make a life for yourself."

"Fine then, I will!" Silver yelled as his father turned his back on him, literally and figuratively. "I'll gain greatness all by myself!"

After that, Silver pretty much had to start his life over from scratch. He hitched a Surf ride with another Trainer over to Johto, where he had decided to start over again. At first his goal had been to train to eventually be strong enough to get revenge on Red, though eventually his contempt changed targets from Red to Team Rocket. Sure, it was both their faults that Silver was left with nothing and had to restart his life, but Team Rocket had lost due to weakness. Silver vowed that he would overcome his own weakness and take out Team Rocket. This desire for revenge only increased when shortly after arriving in Johto, he was ganged up on by a group of former Team Rocket members who then stole his Pokémon. He told them he was Giovanni's son, but they either didn't believe him-there wasn't exactly a strong resemblance-or they didn't care. A few years later in New Bark Town, Silver restarted his collection by stealing a Cyndaquil from Professor Elm. Shortly after that, on the way to Cherrygrove City, he had run into a girl a year or so younger than him named Crystal.

Silver had never been one for romance, but upon meeting Crystal, he felt something stir in his heart. A strong, burning desire that scorched his insides. He knew what he wanted now, not revenge or a new start. He wanted her most of all.

Naturally, this led up to the redhead meeting Crystal's irritating, overly-attached friend Gold, and the two formed a strong rivalry.

Now he had just lost to that same obnoxious Trainer in an unwanted fight.

As Gold looked on, Silver sullenly withdrew his Typhlosion. It was barely conscious, but hopefully Gold won't notice it hadn't fainted. Normally Silver would never end a battle early, especially against Gold, but he had come here to find Crystal. This was only wasting his time.

"All right, you won," Silver muttered. As he turned away from Gold, he tucked the Poké Ball into the red-lined pocket of his black jacket. The redhead left a small pile of victory money on the ground and left.

At least, he made it appear that way to Gold. As soon as the brunet was far enough away, Silver slipped behind a tree and watched Gold. Once his annoying rival walked off and disappeared from view, Silver doubled back to the spot where they fought and continued on the route.

ooOoo

As Silver climbed up the hill, he heard two voices talking, one male and one female. He assumed it was one of the many couples who came to Cerulean Cape, but then he heard something that immediately piqued his interest.

"You should know that the main reason I went after Suicune was not to catch it, but because I knew if I could find it, _you_ wouldn't be far behind. Of all places, it led us both here."

Silver perked up at the sound of the voice. It sounded an awful lot like Crystal's. Silver felt a short burst of satisfaction; he had known she would be here and he was completely right. He darted into the deep grass and inched as close as he could to the speaker. Now that he was close enough to see what was going on without being seen himself, he looked through the grass.

At the top of the hill, Crystal was talking with a strikingly handsome young man a couple years older than Silver. Silver could make out the details of his clothes, a sleek purple tuxedo with a conspicuous red bowtie, a white cape and gloves. _Perfect skin, perfect hair. _ Silver noted with a twinge of resentment. _I'm sure inside he's ugly. _Crystal ran a hand over his immaculately-styled rose gold hair. Silver self-consciously smoothed over the top of his dark red hair, flattening down that persistent cowlick that stuck off the top of his head. Moments later it sprang up again. Silver shrugged it off. _What kind of guy spends that much time on his hair, anyways?_

Silver saw the blond's expression as Crystal kissed him. _That conceited jerk. It looks like he's only faking it._ Silver perceived an air of smugness about him, as if he had been expecting this from Crystal and only had waited for her to give in to her feelings sooner or later.

_Now I can see why she's so obsessed with him. _Silver cast a resentful glare at the couple. For a moment he almost wished they could see the look he gave them._ Why does a guy like that have to be interested in her?_

Now that he thought of it, the blond looked vaguely familiar. Silver couldn't put his finger on where he'd seen him before, but he knew he had some time ago. Certainly with that fashion sense, Silver thought he would be able to recall where he'd seem him before.

The wind changed slightly, and Silver caught a whiff of cologne on the breeze. He assumed it came from the blond. _How tacky! He uses the cheap, fake kind._ Silver waved the scent away from his nose. It had been years, but Silver still remembered what real cologne smelled like.

"The stones are smooth here," Crystal commented coyly. She pressed into her newfound lover. As if doing a waltz, he took a graceful step back, letting Crystal pin him between her and the wall of rock. Silver noted that they were caressing from shoulders up. _What are you doing?_ _If I were you, I'd go straight for her hips._

"That's better," Crystal readjusted herself slightly. Silver saw the blond adjust his position, ever so slightly lifting himself off the stones, probably so his cape wouldn't get dirty. _Humph! _Silver scoffed._ What a wimp_.

A Pidgeotto cried in the distance. Silver whipped around to see where the noise had come from, knocking some of the stones and dirt out beneath his knees. He cringed as the scree tumbled down the hill, clattering as it rolled.

"What was that?" The blond turned in the direction Silver was hiding, his brilliant turquoise eyes scanning the tall grass. Silver mentally thanked the tall grass growing at the edge of the cliff for obscuring him.

"I heard it, too," Crystal turned around. Silver knew he'd have to act soon. He could either run for it and hope he'd be fast enough to get to cover before either of them saw him or reveal himself to them before they saw him first and knew he had been spying on them.

Silver went with the second option.

"Hey, long time, no see," Silver stood up while Crystal and her lover were looking the other way.

"Whoa!" Crystal whipped around to face the redhead.

Her lover looked equally surprised to see him. "Crystal, do you know him?"

"Yeah. We've seen each other around."

_That's all you can say about me? _Silver felt a little insulted by Crystal's halfhearted introduction.

"Silver, this is my...this is Eusine."

Eusine... _Now_ Silver remembered where he'd seen the blond before, and heard that name. The ground lurched around Silver-or at least he imagined it doing so-as his thoughts transported him back to five years ago.

At the sound of his name, Silver rounded the corner of the final flight of stairs and entered the sitting room. In the sitting room was his father, seated across from a showily-dressed teenager a couple years older than Silver with rose gold hair. Silver immediately noticed the surprised look he and Giovanni received as the older teenager cast a few subtle glances back and forth between them. Silver gave the blond a quick glare. _Don't give me that look. I know I know there's no resemblance._

Giovanni looked at the older teenager. "Eusine, where is it?"

With an elegant flick of his wrist, the Poké Ball appeared in his hand. Silver blinked in surprise. How exactly had he done that? It looked like the kind of thing a magician would do. As Silver took his seat in a leather armchair next to his father, the older teenager pressed the button and released a Larvitar onto the hardwood floor.

Silver looked at the Pokémon with dissatisfaction in his glassy gray eyes. "So what can it do? It looks weak to me."

Eusine looked at the Larvitar, then back up at Silver. "With all due respect, how do you know?"

"A Pokémon at that low of a level isn't of any use to me. I only use strong Pokémon," Silver replied with a smirk. He reached into the pocket of his pants, taking out a Great Ball and pressed the button on the front. A Scizor materialized from the red beam of light.

"Scizor, use Steel Wing,"

In a split second, the Steel-type lunged, striking the Larvitar with its sharp wings. The Larvitar didn't even get a chance to react; it took the blow and ricocheted off the wall, leaving a sizable dent as it bounced. Eusine visibly flinched as the Larvitar slammed into the corner of a nearby hardwood cabinet and collapsed on the floor. Giovanni cast Eusine a glare.

"See? I was right. That was one of my weaker Pokémon, too." There was a smug gleam in Silver's mercury eyes.

Eusine took out the Poke Ball and withdrew the little Pokémon as Silver withdrew his.

Giovanni turned to Eusine. "You saw that. Now go out and get another one."

Eusine looked dismayed at the idea. "You make it sound like catching Larvitar is like catching Rattata. Do you know what I went through to get it?"

"What do you think I'm paying you for? Catch a stronger Larvitar."

"From where? They only appear at Mount Silver."

"I don't care how you obtain it! Just do it and be timely about it, even if you have to steal one."

Silver let out a sigh. How long was this going to take? He had already waited a few weeks; he ultimately wanted a Tyranitar. The redhead began to get up out of his chair, but one quick glance from Giovanni had him seated again.

"Steal one?! Who do you think I am, part of Team Rocket?" Silver thought he saw his father twitch. _How much does this Eusine guy know?_ Silver shrugged off the potentially disturbing thought. _He wouldn't know the irony of his words._

"You call yourself a Pokémon hunter, right?" Giovanni's gaze hardened. "That means you'll do what it takes to get Pokémon for your clients."

"I won't do things that are unethical or illegal-"

"Eusine Minaki, look at me. Look me in the eyes."

Nervously, Eusine turned towards his client.

"I've heard about the things you can do. You're only sixteen and you have as much skill as Pokémon hunters twice your age. You have potential to make something great of yourself- and I can help you. Sometimes you need to bend the rules to achieve greatness."

"I-I don't know if I want to do this-"

"You need the money, right? As I remember, _you_ sought out _me_. You were desperate for funds."

"So can I at least get paid for what I've done so far?" There was a petulant edge to the blond's voice.

At that bit of insolence, Giovanni forcefully slapped Eusine, knocking him off his chair and onto the marble-tiled floor.

Silver spun to look at Eusine as he hit the floor, his apathy and irritation towards the young Pokémon hunter vanishing like morning mist. For a moment, their eyes met, glassy gray and brilliant turquoise, like the contrast of a winter and summer sky. They just stared at each other, their gazes locked. Silver could see the disappointment, shock, indignation and annoyance in Eusine's vivid turquoise eyes-and even a little bit of fear, as if he wasn't really sure what to do now that he didn't get the money he needed.

Giovanni's voice snapped Silver back into the moment. "How dare you ask for payment when you haven't even accomplished your task?!" Get up, go out and get that Pokémon!"

"Fine then. I quit." Eusine stood up surprisingly fast, considering how hard he had been hit. Silver watched as the blond dusted himself off and swiftly exited the room, without even a glance back.

Giovanni opened up an address book and with a wooden pen, made a swift mark across the page. "Eusine Minaki...remind me never to hire him again."

Silver couldn't erase the image from his mind. He had heard through word-of-mouth that Giovanni was harsh towards those who disobeyed him, but he had never actually witnessed Giovanni's wrath firsthand-and never expected he would. To him, Giovanni was only the loving, generous father who would spend any amount of time or money to make his son happy. Giovanni's reaction to Eusine's question had taken Silver completely off-guard. Silver had always taken it for granted that _he_ would never be on the receiving end of his father's wrath.

It was especially unsettling to see this happen to someone only a couple years older than him.

Truthfully, Silver had never really been bothered by the fact his father was the boss of Team Rocket. When he was younger, he wondered exactly how Giovanni got the money to buy him all the fancy gifts he received considering Giovanni was "only a Gym Leader". As Silver got older, he eventually found out the truth about where the money came from, but he didn't care. However, it was something completely different to have Giovanni show his ruthless side in front of his own son.

Giovanni looked over at his son, who still looked shocked by the incident. "That's how it's done, Silver. If anyone under you ever forgets who's in charge and tries to talk back to you, you have to show them who's boss."

Silver's thoughts whirled as his mind returned to the present. Silver briefly wondered if the blond still remembered the incident. _That was a while ago. I doubt he'd remember me._

Eusine offered his hand to shake, but Silver ignored him and turned to Crystal.

"So why are you here?" Crystal asked with as much politeness as she could muster.

"I was looking for you," Silver replied. _I need to tell her how I feel, if not for her than for my own conscience._

"Really? Why?" Crystal's soft brown eyes widened. She looked both surprised and flattered to hear this. _Maybe I do have a chance after all._

"I was looking for a good chance to tell you how I feel…I love you." He wished he could have come up with something more eloquent, but that was the first thing that came to mind.

"Silver, before you hold anything against Eusine for this, I need to tell you something," Crystal moved towards Silver, until there were only inches between them. Silver tensed in excitement. _So far, so good._

"I never loved you," she stated bluntly, though trying to be gentle at the same time. "Today doesn't change that. Eusine was always the one for me."

A deep blackness settled over Silver. It was hopeless. He stood no chance at ever being with Crystal. He'd _never_ had any chance at her. Why did she have to love Eusine?

Disappointment was something that bothered Silver more than most people, or at least as far as he observed. For much of his life, he was accustomed to getting his way, and even though that had changed radically in the last few years, he still felt this way. Other people might feel upset for a little bit and get over it, but Silver held onto bitter feelings for a very long time. He knew sometimes the only thing that would stop him from doing something was the fear that it wouldn't turn out the way he wanted.

Well, if Crystal didn't love Silver anyways, why shouldn't he give them some trouble on the way out?

"All right, fine. But when you want a guy who actually has some balls, I'll be long gone." Silver turned away from the couple slowly. That should get a reaction.

Sure enough, they took the bait.

"What do you have against Eusine anyways?" Crystal snapped.

"Not my lips, for one thing."

"I only ever liked you as a friend. I don't get why you have to make this into a problem."

"Problem? I don't have a problem. Mr. Perfect is the one with the problem," Silver cast a side glance at Eusine. "Besides, he's not you type."

Crystal put her hands on her hips. "And how would _you_ know what "my type" is?"

Silver noticed that Crystal wasn't looking at him. Rather, she was looking _behind_ him.

Silver's long red hair whipped across his face as he turned and looked down the hill. Sure enough, he could make out a red-and-black-clothed shape approaching. Gold. _Of all of the times for him to appear!_

Silver turned back to Crystal and Eusine. As Crystal looked at Gold, Silver gave Eusine an intense glare and a rapid middle finger, fast enough for Eusine to see but not fast enough for Crystal to notice, and walked off.

As Silver walked away, he felt painfully aware of the other couples around him for the first time. Cerulean Cape was infested with them. Everywhere he looked, couples were baby-talking, holding hands, or kissing on the bridge. He tried to erase the image of Crystal and Eusine embracing against the stone wall out of his mind, but it stuck like spray paint on concrete.

"Hey! I challenge you to a battle!"

_Can this day going to get any worse? _Silver pivoted, turning around so he could see who had just addressed him. A girl a year or two younger than him, probably Crystal's age, approached him with a Poké Ball in hand. Now that he thought of it, she looked a lot like Crystal. As in, strikingly like Crystal. For a moment, Silver wondered if Crystal had a twin-or any sisters-but then he recalled that she told him she was an only child. This must be just a coincidence. Like Crystal, she had her hair in pigtails, only her hair was a soft cornflower blue instead of a medium brown. She wore a white jacket over a magenta shirt along with lavender and black bike shorts and matching shoes.

"No. All my Pokémon fainted in an earlier battle," Silver replied. Even if that wasn't _completely_ the case, he still wouldn't have been in the mood for a battle.

"That's too bad. You look like someone who would be a good Trainer," Silver could see the disappointment in the girl's blue eyes. "My name's Marina. What's yours?"

"Silver," the redhead replied blankly. _Can you shut up and let me get to the Pokémon Center?_

"That's a cool name," Marina continued. "That reminds me! I saw this amazing guy earlier! He had dark blond hair and was wearing a purple tuxedo and the most fabulous cape."

Silver felt that familiar twinge of jealousy._ If I hear one more word about Eusine today…_

"Unfortunately, he was already with someone. It's just as well I didn't get to talk to him," Marina sighed. "Oh well," She turned to Silver. "I'm partial to redheads anyways. So what's your story? Why are you here single?"

"Same reason as you," Silver replied tersely. He really didn't want to talk about it, but at least Marina had her heart broken today as well. _Too bad,_ Silver thought. She wasn't bad looking, he thought, in fact maybe hotter than Crystal.

"Well, there's nothing to burn off your disappointment like a Pokémon battle. Wanna fight?" Marina was reaching for her Poké Balls again.

"Yeah, but I need back to town and stop at the Pokémon Center first,"

"Okay," Marina hesitated before adding "Can I come with you?"

Silver shrugged. "I guess so,"

Marina beamed. "So it'll be like a date?"

"Uh…yeah, if you want to think of it that way," Silver couldn't find any reasons _not _to let Marina come with him. Now that he looked at her closely, she was _way_ hotter than Crystal.

"Okay!" Before Silver could react, Marina grabbed his hand, and began heading back towards the city. Startled but flattered by the sudden display of affection, Silver stumbled, but caught up to her.

As he walked back to Cerulean City with Marina, Silver glanced up at the few clouds that dotted the otherwise clear sky. Maybe every cloud did have a silver lining.


End file.
